Allen’s Story

Allen Quan Wong was born in Portland, Oregon, the youngest son of Wong On, poet and founder of the Portland restaurant Hung Far Low. Allen grew up on NW 4th Avenue in the Wong Family Building in Portland’s Chinatown. He graduated from Lincoln High School and earned a B.A. degree in art from the University of Oregon before serving in the Air Force during WWII in the Pacific theater. Upon his return, he continued his postgraduate studies at Art Center School of Design and went on to a successful career as a graphic designer in New York City for 19 years.

Allen was then offered a position at Oregon State University to help establish a B.F.A. program in the art department. It was there that he discovered his love of teaching and met Lloyd Reynolds, who inspired Allen to add calligraphy to the arts curriculum. The students loved the new classes, and formed a student group called The “Goose Quill Guild,” which continued long after Allen’s retirement. 

Allen conducted workshops across the United States and internationally, including six international calligraphy conferences as faculty. He rediscovered his childhood skill in Chinese brush calligraphy and added that to his class offerings. Wong developed his own style of abstract impressionist Chinese calligraphy. 

He had several one-man shows and had work included in many group exhibitions. In 2019, his work was shown at the Portland Chinatown Museum, in an exhibit called Allen Q. Wong: A Man of Letters. With fifteen original compositions of English letters and Chinese characters formed in pen and brush work, A Man of Letters traced the development of Allen’s career.

Allen has one art piece in the The Lloyd J. Reynolds Memorial Calligraphy Collection at the Portland Art Museum.